Why You Should Use LED Lighting

You’re on the fence about investing in LED light bulbs. You’ve heard that they save energy, that they are “good for the planet,” and that people enjoy their lambent glow. Yet you’re not sure whether to “make the switch” and leave the comfort zone of traditional incandescents.

Here’s a thought experiment to help you make the decision.

Green outdoor lighting California
By Karl Baron [CC-BY-2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0) or CC-BY-2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0) ], via Wikimedia Commons
Let’s say you have two options: 1) change all the light bulbs in your house every day or 2) change them once a month.

Which would be more convenient? Which would you enjoy doing more?

If you said “once every month” instead of “once every day,” you’re probably a good candidate for LED light bulbs!

Studies show that the LEDs last up to 25 times longer than traditional bulbs. While traditional bulbs don’t burn out in a day, 25 times more life is still 25 more times more life. Even when you take into account the fact that light emitting diodes are more expensive than compact fluorescent and incandescent bulbs, the long-term cost savings are undeniable. An incandescent bulb would have to be 25 times cheaper than LEDs for the numbers to work out even over the long term.

Especially if you’re dealing with municipal street lighting, the potential savings are significant. LEDs are not just for outdoor uses, either – they can be used in stadiums, street lamps, indoor lamps, and beyond. Advances in technology have made LEDs more versatile, color wise, as well. “Old school” LEDs created a bluish hue. Newer LEDs offer warmer, whiter light.

The cost of an incandescent bulb is around $1.25. It lasts around 1,200 hours and yields an annual use cost of $300. A compact fluorescent bulb, on the other hand, costs $4 and last 8,000 hours. So the annual use cost is around $70. An LED bulb might run you around $10 (or less) but can last 50,000 plus hours, meaning that you get an annual use cost of just $30. That’s 10 times less than the annual use cost of the “cheaper” traditional incandescent.

Find out whether an LED lighting solution is right for you. Get in touch with our team here at Great Basin Lighting for help with your project.